Acinetobacter baumannii infections account for 34% of wound infections seen in soldiers injured while fighting in the Middle East. Over the last half century, the prevalence of wound infections caused by this and other Gram-negative bacterial infections have been on the rise due to the use of antibiotics on the battlefield. Today, these organisms have become the predominant pathogens recovered from war wounds sustained by soldiers due to their natural resistance to many common antimicrobials. This has been exacerbated in the case of Acinetobacter baumannii through the development of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains. Although uncommon as a gastrointestinal pathogen, colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by Acinetobacter baumannii has been linked to the development of MDR strains. As a result, Acinetobacter baumannii is of major concern, not only on the battlefield, but also in hospitals and clinics, leading many to adopt screening protocols to prevent its spread.
Because of the ability of Acinetobacter baumannii to colonize the gastrointestinal tract, and its prevalence in wound infections seen in soldiers overseas, the inventors questioned whether it may explain some of the symptoms reported from veterans from the Persian Gulf War suffering from Gulf War Illness (GWI). GWI is a multifactorial disease presenting with a variety of symptoms. Gastrointestinal complications have been reported in some cases of GWI. Soldiers returning from the Persian Gulf may have suffered severe trauma and developed infections caused by organisms such as Acinetobacter baumannii, which can be very difficult to treat due to intrinsic antibiotic resistance.
There remains a need for additional compositions and therapies for treating bacterial infections.